Saudade
by bloodredblackeningabyss
Summary: A new identity, a knife, a few notes and an all knowing contact. That's what my sister left me, when she died. Or when she was killed, by a secret organization out for our blood. Why? I have no idea. But I plan to put a stop to it. My name is Max, that's all you need to know.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey people!**

**So I've decided to start a new story and this is it.**

** It's very different from DEAD INSIDE but I hope you like it all the same.**

**Here we go!**

I am not Ella.

Ella is not me.

I will never be Ella.

This was my mantra, the one that repeated to myself constantly every day since she died.  
>Ella Martinez, a brown haired-green eyed girl approximately 5 foot 3 inches in stature.<p>

My sister was dead.

It was several months ago when she lost it. Ella and I were both hanging out on Monte Pier eating ice cream.  
>She, a perfectly scooped strawberry ice cream in a waffle cone, and I, a smushed plain vanilla ice cream in a paper Dixie cup.<br>We had went swimming earlier in the day and recently retired to the ancient park bench closest to the fisherman's  
>dock dedicated to a young Tom Morris who died serving the country. She turned to me, her green eyes looking rather odd and smiled weakly.<p>

" Max, can I ask you something?" Ella asked suddenly.

" Of course. Why? What's wrong?" I wondered. I placed my melted ice cream down on the bench and turned towards her. Seeing her clearly,  
>I noticed her eyes were blood shot and her hair was a tangled mess. Definitely not up to " Ella's standards". She wasn't even wearing her usual clothing.<br>Nothing different or unique could be detected on her, she looked normal. Ella hates it if she doesn't stand out. Being normal for Ella was abnormal.  
>Suddenly, she turned away from me, letting her eyes focus on anything but me.<p>

" Nothing. I just need to know that you'll be there for me no matter what. Can you do that, Max?" Ella's eyes narrowed and her lips twitched slightly at the seams.

" I will do anything for you. We're twins, if I can't help you than who can?" I smiled and looked over at her. A flash of light caught my eye.

No it can't be.

It's not possible.

I reached over to Ella and took her left hand. Sure enough there it was. Our great grandmother's ring. The one carved through pain and eternal damnation.  
>The ring of death. To anyone else it would be some fashion accessory a silver ring woven with pieces of black Micah melted into it's core.<br>To anyone else it would be a treasure, to me a curse. This ring meant something that only we knew about. Not my family. Us,Ella and I.  
>She knew that, Ella knew that. This was our grandmother's death ring. She wore it when she died. Ella must have slipped it off her finger.<p>

" What do you need me to do?" I asked slowly.

" Look after Tina for me, will you? I just got accepted to a university in Europe. Everyone else will be okay. Just remember to look after Tina. Okay, Max?" Ella said.

" I promise to look after her. Have fun in Europe. I love you, Ella." I whispered.

" I love you, too. I'll see you when I get back." Ella smiled and wrapped me into a long hug.

" I knew you remembered. Don't forget me. Tell him, everything. You can only trust him, no one else. You'll know."  
>She let go of me and looked back out to the sea.<br>The white mystic waves crashed out over the pier. Ella ran out onto the boardwalk and sat on the edge.  
>Her small legs dangling over the side, barely touching the water below.<br>I began to walk closer to her, to ask her more questions about what was suppose to come.  
>But she put her hand out and stopped me from coming any closer, stopping me from her fate.<br>It was then that the boardwalk collapsed and Ella and I fell beneath the icy ocean waves below.  
>The water kept crashing down on us, trying to keep everything in it's grasp submerged. It swayed us in every direction.<br>I looked around in the water. Where was Ella? I searched for what seemed like hours for my sister. I'm told it was just less than a minute.  
>It's impossible for people to hold their breath for more than a minute or two.<br>My eyes were slammed shut by the water around me and all air ways began to fill up. I sank to the bottom of the waves, deep down into the soft, white sand.  
><strong>Sweet dreams.<strong>  
><strong>Lie your head down.<strong>  
><strong>Everything's calm now.<strong>  
><strong>Your okay.<strong>  
><strong>Rest your weary mind.<strong>  
><strong>Close the tale of time.<strong>  
><strong>Plan your final rhyme.<strong>  
><strong>Into a deep slumber.<strong>  
><strong>Leave nothing left unsaid.<strong>  
><strong>Pretend your in your bed.<strong>  
><strong>Soft asleep.<strong>  
><strong>Everything' calm now.<strong>  
><strong>Sweet dreams.<strong>

That was when I died.

**Okay, so I'm not going to leave it there for two reasons**

**1. I don't want you to think Max dies ( that is a world I do not want to live in).**

**2. It might take me a while to update ( approximately a week or so) and I don't want you to wait that long.**

**So here's the unofficial chapter 2!**

Chapter 2

"Ella?"

"Ella, wake up."

"We need you here."

"Ella, wake up."

" What are we going to do? Both of my girls are gone. Our children are dead, Jeb! Dead!"

" Shhh... let's go wait outside. Ella needs her rest."

" Dead, Jeb! She's dead. Their both dead!"

" Let's go outside, Val. At least until you've calmed down."

I opened my eyes slowly. It was white, all white. I was sitting in a hospital bed with an I.V. in my arm and a heart rate monitor constantly beeping.

Why am I at a hospital?

Why am I here?

Why am I-

Monte's Pier.

Water.

No way out.

Ella!

" Ella!" I screamed.

" Ella, where are you? Ella, are you okay? Ella! I'm sorry! Please! Ella!" I hollered.

_Look after Tina for me, will you?_

_Just remember to look after Tina._

Tina?

Ella's stuffed elephant from when we were five?

Didn't we lose that a long time ago?

"How am I suppose to find a stupid stuffed animal?" I asked.

" Ella? Ella, are you awake?" My mother yelled down the hallway.

" Mom? I'm awake! Mom? Dad?" I screamed.

" Ella! Oh, Ella, Honey, your awake! I thought we lost you, baby!" Mom and Dad gave me a giant hug, tears streaming down their faces.

" Wait! Did you just call me Ella? Mom, I'm Max." I said.

" What?" Both my parents exclaimed.

" Ella, dear you must be confused. Max's dead. She's gone. Besides we had a DNA test done to figure out which child of ours was still alive. Your my Ella." My mother replied.

" No, I'm Max. Ella was killed at the pier. She knew she was going to die. Mom, Dad you have to believe me!" I begged.

" Ella! Stop it! Your scaring your mother!" My dad commanded.

" What is she saying, James? What's wrong with our baby girl?" My mother cried.

Why won't they listen to me.

_You can only trust him, no one else._

_No one else._

" I'm so sorry mom, I didn't mean to make you cry. I'm just so sad that Max's gone. She's really gone." I lied.

Where was Ella?

" It's okay, honey. I know it's hard to accept. But she's in a better place now." My mother said, quietly.

" Let's get you home, Ella Bella." My dad smiled.

Didn't they care about me at all?

Was I less important than Ella?

Oh, Ella where are you?

**Thanks for reading!**

**Review (nicely) please.**

**Next chapter is going to be fun...**

**SEE YOU IN THE STARS**

**BLOODREDBLACKENINGABYSS**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey people!**

**So this is the two new chapters!**

**I like the way that this is set up, so I think it's going to continue.**

**At least with this story.**

**The 4th chapter is really important.**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 3

The ride home was long and hard, being as full with as many questions as possibly from both of my parents.

" What exactly happened to the pier?"

" What were you thinking?"

" How did you survive?"

" What happened to Max?"

I know they just found out that one of their children had died, but even if they did think I was dead, how could they be so insensitive?

Next, they're going to ask how she died or better yet if I killed her.

I know if Ella was here right now she would have her hands covering her face and shaking her head.

That was one thing that we both agreed on. Our parents were bat shit crazy.

Upon arriving at the house, I noticed that the sunny yellow paint was diving off the walls.  
>As if to say that there was no point in being here without Ella. I couldn't say I disagreed.<p>

On the inside, our house was in disarray. There were papers flung in every direction and somehow a coffee cup ended up on our dining room chandler.

A picture of Ella and I was placed lovingly near our window seat. Ella was wearing a sky blue tee shirt from Camp Ever star and black jeans.  
>She also had her hair placed up in a nice, neat, pristine high ponytail. Her face was covered in a mask of makeup that made her jade green eyes sparkle.<br>I was the total opposite. I wore a plain black tee shirt, cargo pants and a brown leather jacket. My hair was placed down in loose, messy blonde curls.  
>I wore no makeup at all and my green eyes looked like mint chocolate chip ice cream. We were both hugging each other half-heartedly around the shoulders<br>and smiling in a big, fake way.

That was the summer at the lake. Our parents had forced us to go to summer camp at the end of eighth grade and we hated it with every fiber of our beings.  
>The campers were way to cheery for me and too much of a challenge for Ella to covert them into fashonistas. The meals were mediocre at best and the activities<br>were just plain insulting. I mean playing duck-duck goose? Weren't we a little too old for that? The worst of it all was when our parents wrote us the letter.  
>It was basically just a bunch of junk asking if we were having a good time and that they were so proud of us for being team players like they knew we would be.<br>They even asked us for a picture to remember our times at Camp Ever Star.

In response, my sister and I sent this really cheesy picture of us smiling with our teeth clenched tightly and our eyes popping out of our heads.  
>Yet, they photo shopped it into looking amazing.<p>

Our staircase at home was cracked and brittle from some kind of heavy burden and the wood was split in between. I danced around the steps, avoiding the damp, rotten wood.  
>How long have I been gone?<p>

" Ella! Ella!" My mother called.

" Ella, get down from there!" My father hollered.

" What? Why?" I asked, running straight down the stairs.

As soon as I got on the main level, my parents embraced me in a gigantic hug.

" Ella, we were so worried about you! Don't you dare scare us like that again!" My mother looked at me, tears streaming down her cheeks.

" I was just going upstairs. Why did I miss something? What happened upstairs?" I wondered.

" Ella, it's not safe up there. You see there was a fire in our bedroom that burnt the whole upper part of the house.  
>It's not safe to be up there. There's still ash on the ground and smoke in the air. You'll die up there!" My father exclaimed.<p>

" A fire? Upstairs? What about our stuff?" I asked.

My mother looked down at the ground. She wasn't meeting my gaze.

" Well, there is nothing for you to worry about. All of your belongings are okay. It's just Max's things that are gone." My mother whispered.

" What? How can you say that's okay! She's dead mom! My sister is dead! How can you be so mean! She was your child. How can you not care that she's gone!" I screamed.

" Ella! That's enough! Your mother and I loved Max dearly. And for you to think anything else is just plain horrid.  
>You are an insensitive child! With no regard for anyone but yourself! I am very ashamed to have a child like you! Now leave your mother alone!" My father screamed.<p>

" No, Jeb. Let her be. She's right, I didn't care about Max enough. Maybe if I had tried harder she'd still be alive. Oh, it's all my fault Jeb! All my fault!"  
>My mother cried.<p>

" Valencia! Stop this nonsense! You didn't kill M ax. She's in a better place now. Tell her Ella." My father nudged me.

" Mom, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel responsible for Max's death. It's the pier's fault, not yours." I whispered.

" It's okay, Ella. I know your upset, you just can't say those things to me or anyone. It shattered my heart to hear you say something like that.  
>I loved your sister. I miss your sister and will continue to miss her for the rest of my life. However, I am thankful that your okay. I'm happy that your still here.<br>I also know that wallowing in my own self-pity won't bring Max back or make the pain any less. But I love you and I need to be brave for you. I hope you understand."  
>My mother smiled.<p>

" I do mom and I'm sorry for what I said. Your right, I'm just upset that she's gone. I'm sorry, mom." I sighed.

" It's okay Ella. Now, since the fire burnt the upstairs and it's unsafe for you to be up there. I moved all your stuff down the hall, where the walk-in closet used to be. Why don't you go get settled in? Dinner will be ready in about an hour."  
>My mother smiled weakly.<p>

" Okay, see you in an hour." I said as I headed down the hallway and went through the door marked "Ella's Room".

Ella's bed was placed with the headboard facing the back wall. A small 14in flat screen sat on the opposite wall,  
>a colossal book shelf was placed to the right of her bed and a bright pink blanket took over the role as the comforter.<br>I sighed and flopped down on the bed, closing my eyes. A nice, warm, fuzzy lump was placed up against my cheek.  
>I opened my eyes to see a wave of pink overloading my sense of sight. It's big blue eyes stared back at me.<br>It's mouth was stitched shut with a black thread.

Tina.

Tina, the elephant.

Chapter 4

I placed the elephant in my hands.

_Look after Tina for me, will you?_

_Just remember to look after Tina._

Ella? What were you doing?

_Look after Tina for me, will you?_

_Just remember to look after Tina._

What were you thinking when you said this to me?

_Look after Tina for me, will you?_

_Just remember to look after Tina._

What were you thinking?

_Tina._

_Tina._

_Tina._

_Tina._

" Damn it!" I said as I threw the stuff animal across the room.

As it hit the wall, a piece of stationary fell out of it's lining.

I moved over towards the piece of paper and peered over it.

It had my name centered in the middle of the yellow parchment .

_Max_

I ran my thumb over the back of the opening to the envelope. My finger, slowly picked at the opening until it fell forwards.

I unwrinkled the piece of stationary from the envelope and began to read.

_Dear, Max_

_By the time your reading this I'm already gone._

_I've made sure of that._

_So, for the past few years I've been hunted by this group of people called the Genetic Code Foundation or GCF for short._

_They said they've been looking for me since the day I was born. If you can believe it. They're nice, smart and they made me feel welcome._

_Remember that summer that I spent abroad in the Islands?_

_It didn't happen._

_Those people are bad, Max_

_They're the type of people that will kill you if they find out who you are._

_Now your probably wondering why I'm bothering to tell you any of this._

_It's because your apart of it too._

_Something about us is special. Something about us is so unique that people would kill us for it._

_What is it?_

_I have no idea._

_But I will and by the time I leave you, I'll most likely know everything about who they are and what they want from us._

_Sadly, I can't share._

_If and when I do find out the knowledge I'm looking for, I will be dead._

_They will know._

_The only person that can help you is my one and only contact._

_The thing is, he likes to remain anonymous and if I wrote his name down in this letter or mom and dad happen to find this letter, nothing good will come of it._

_Much less if the GCF found it._

_So sister dear, this is where I leave you._

_I love you with all my heart._

_Keep pretending to be me._

_Don't drawn attention to yourself._

_Do everything as I would do._

_Do not change a single aspect of my routine._

_And remember you can only trust him._

_Love, Ella_

_P.s. If I'm not dead, I'll see you later._

**That was a pretty eventful chapter, wouldn't you say?**

**Thanks you for reading**

**See you in the stars**

**bloodredblackeningabyss**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys!**

**So it's been a few...**

**Sorry about that.**

**I've been writing a story lately and it's not going to be a Maximum Ride one.**

**I feel like I do that with too many of my stories and then I give them a really long break.**

**I'm still writing.**

**DEAD INSIDE is going to continue.**

**Along with every other story except for Be careful what you wish for and the one shot I did.**

**Anyway, enjoy the new two chapters.**

**Chapter 5**

" Oh, my gosh." I gasped and dropped the note on the bed.

" Ella? Is everything okay? I heard you scream, what's going on?" My mother asked from behind the closed door.

" Nothing, Mom. I just saw a spider. You know how much I hate those things." I lied. I've been doing a lot of lying ever since I've come home.

" Alright, honey as long as you're okay. Can I come in? I need to talk to you about something." Mom said, trying to turn the doorknob that I had so cleverly locked on my way in.

" Sure, just give me a second." I said calmly. That couldn't have been more untrue. I mean hiding a note is easy but lying to my mom's face about something this gigantic? That's going to be tricky.

I mean I'm a good girl. I don't have a good poker face. I don't even know how to play poker! Okay, I've really got to calm down. Do this for Ella. For Ella. Can't let mom know anything about who I really am or what happened to Ella. It's like acting. Just pretend, it doesn't mean anything. Someday, when I know what's going on I'll tell her the truth. When I bring Ella back.

I opened the door slowly and looked over at my mom. I smiled big and wide like I always do and gestured for her to come into the room.

" Hey, honey. So I wanted to talk to you about what happened on Monte Pier a little more. Is that okay, sweetie?" My mother asked, looking down at the floor.

" Of course, mom. Anything for you." I smiled again, wider and brighter.

" Okay, Ella, what happened before the pier collapsed?"

I gulped. Why with the hard questions first? I mean can't she ask me how I'm feeling? That's what you do when your going for an interview and this wasn't that far off.

Well, let's see Ella and I were eating ice cream on a bench, I saw that she had grandma's ring on, we went on the pier and then it broke. The end. Can't tell her about any of that though. Ella says I can't tell anyone about what happened on the pier and I won't.

" Max and I were walking around on the pier's boardwalk eating ice cream and well it just….fell. I don't know how it happened." I shrugged.

" The pier's been there for over a hundred years. I suppose it's possible that it just caved in after standing for so long. Why it fell when you were on it is the question. Why do you think it fell?" My mother asked.

Double Gulp. Is she seriously asking what I think she's asking? Does she seriously think someone made the pier's boardwalk collapsed on purpose?

_If and when I do find out the knowledge I'm looking for, I will be dead._

_They will know._

Did Ella find the knowledge that she was looking for? Is that why the pier collapsed? It has to be the reason. It just has to be. Ella must have found out why the GCF wanted us and what they intended to do to us once they found us. Ella found out one of the most important things and it died with her. How will I ever know what she found? What am I going to do when these people find out who I am. It's only a matter of time before they find me. I was at the pier with Ella, if they killed her then they know who I am. It's already too late.

Upon discovering this new information, I felt ill. My stomach was in knots and the world around me turned a pale white.

" Ella? Ella, are you okay? Jeb, call an ambulance! Ella's fainted!" My mother screamed and turned me over on my side. She placed her cool hand on my face.

" Ella? Ella, you need to stay awake, honey. Ella, please! Jeb, pull the car around. She can't wait until an ambulance comes. We have to drive her to the hospital, now!" My mother screamed again and carried me out of the room. Through a foggy haze, I could see her making her way through the front door and into the car. She gently lied me down in the back seat and belted me in the car as best she could.

" Hold on, Ella. Please. Don't close your eyes."

Ironically, I did close my eyes. I let myself swim around in a sea of darkness. I felt myself go back to that day on Monte's pier. I once again sat next to Ella on that wooden bench, watched as she ate her strawberry ice cream, saw my grandmother's ring on her finger and finally, watched the pier collapse.

Seeing two snipers in the distance. They were dressed in black suits, the stereotypical bad guy wear. One of them pulled something out of their pocket. Ripped a pin out of it and threw it in the direction of the pier's boardwalk.

A grenade.

The sniper was a lousy shot, if I do say so myself and hit the water below the boardwalk instead of the boardwalk itself or us. It was the explosion that made the pier collapse. The force of the water combining with the fact that the pier was over 100 years old made it easy for it to fall.

Those snipers work for the GCF, the guys that want my sister dead. Or the guys that already succeeded in doing just that. They truly want to kill us. Ella was spot on when she said they'd do anything to get their hands on us.

I've got to get the hell out of here.

**Chapter 6**

"Ella?"

" Ella, wake up, honey. We need you to wake up."

I once again opened my eyes to see my mother crying a river of tears. Why does this keep happening to me?

" Ella, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you faint. I only wanted to know as much as possible about Max's death. I'm hoping you can forgive me. I love you, Ella." My mother smiled at me through sobs.

" Mom, it's okay. You don't have to be sorry for asking a question. I'm not five years old, mom. I can handle you asking questions. You don't need to dance around the topic of my sister's death with me. Yes, it was tragic but like you said, she's in a better place. I know she is. Max would want us to be happy. She would want us to move on. That's what I would want." I smiled at my mother.

She placed her hand over mine and smiled back. My dad repeated the action as well. I looked over at the clock. 7:30 at night, just great. My mother had big bags underneath her bright green eyes and my father had bloodshot brown eyes. My mother's hair was flying all over the place like she'd been through a tornado. Dad didn't look any better.

" Now, Ella the doctors want to keep you here overnight for observation. Is that alright with you?" Dad asked.

" Of course, why wouldn't it be? Don't let me being in the hospital, deprive you of any more much needed sleep. You guys should go home. I'll be fine." I said, reassuringly.

" Are you sure? We don't mind sleeping in the hospital overnight." My mother replied.

" No, you guys need some rest. Go home and come back in the morning. I'll be right here where you left me." I answered back.

"Okay, sweetie we'll see you in the morning." My dad said as he kissed me on the forehead.

" Have a good night Ella." My mother whispered.

" Bye guys. See you in the morning, I love you." I whispered back.

I watched them grab their coats from the backs of the two hospital chairs and leave my room.

ROOM 216

I looked down at my wrist for the first time since I woke up and saw three new pieces of jewelry. A white one listing my name, age, and birthdate. A red one marked SULFA and lastly a yellow one telling the whole world that I am at a constant risk of falling.

Okay, I know I fainted, but how does sitting on a bed and lying down, fit the description of falling? Mom must have exaggerated a bit.

Poor mom, she probably thought that she killed me. What a nightmare that would have been.

Suddenly I heard footsteps coming down the hallway.

" Excuse me, do you know where Miss. Ella Ramirez's room is?" A man asked in a gruff voice. He was wearing some sort of loafers by the sound of his shoes. I can out run loafers. If he was wearing sneakers it might be a problem.

" Sure, I just need to see your I.D. and know your relation to Miss. Ramirez." The nurse replied. Smart. At least someone knows what their doing.

" Oh, yeah, sure I'm her brother,Cameron Ramirez. Here's my Identification card if you need it." The man replies.

" No, that's okay. I'm just required by law to know if you have one. Just know I can check it at any time, to make sure you who you say you are." The nurse answered back.

" I'll be waiting for that." He retorted.

" Her room is 216. Hope your sister feels better." She yells down the hallway.

" Thank you." He whispers.

This man is coming to see me. This GCF officer is coming to see me. Think, Max. Think!

I unwrap myself from the polyester blanket and crawl underneath the hospital bed. I curled up into a ball and waited until the man walked into the room.

The man knocks on the door to the room and entered.

" Ella?" He whispers into the darkness.

" Ella? Are you okay?" He asks the darkness again.

I took a deep breath of air and held it in. My cheeks puffed outwards and tingled from all the pressure. Keep it together, Max.

" Listen, Ella. I know you're sad about Max's death but it had to happen. You know that. She was going to die anyway. It was only a matter of time. Now, we have to move on from here. The only reason why you were here was to protect your sister. She's gone, Ella. You have to protect yourself now. Isn't that what your sister would have wanted? I'll be waiting outside in the car for you. Get your stuff, put your clothes on and we'll be on our way. See you in a few, Ella." The man said as he walked out of my room and further down the hall.

I couldn't hold it any longer, my lungs burst open and I dropped to the floor. My vision began to grow hazy and my eyes fluttered slightly at the seams.

No. Not now. He's still out there, waiting for me. If I don't follow him, he'll come back and if I do follow him, he'll get me anyway. Ella said these people would kill us if they found out who we are. So, I've just got to be someone else.

I placed my hair into a low messy bun and tucked it into the back of my neck. This gives the appearance that I have a short bob-like haircut. Cut off all three of my bracelets, put Ella's lavender trench coat on. Placed my old, plain, blue baseball cap on my head and left the room. I dug my hands deep into Ella's pockets and grasped something sharp and ragged.

What the?

I wrapped my left hand around the object and pulled it out of the coat. There, in my hand, sat a small bronze dagger. It's hilt, no matter how small, fit perfectly inside my hand. A small thinly veiled, piece of paper was wrapped around the knife. Almost identical to Ella's previous letter.

_Max- I thought you'd need a weapon to help you in emergency cases. Hopefully, you'll find it in time. They're coming for you. I found out some things that'll help you in the near future. My contact knows all about what I've discovered. By the time of my death, he'll be trying to contact you. Be careful._

_Love, Ella_

Her contact? I completely forgot about him. That man could have been her contact. He could have all the information that I'm looking for. Then, I could tell my parents the truth and find out if Ella is, in fact dead. Should I try and fight this guy or try to talk to him? Ella said that I shouldn't trust anyone and that guy makes me want to vomit. Violence it is.

I placed the knife inside the sleeve of my coat and walked out of the hospital with my head held high. The people they suspect are always the ones who look suspicious. I walked out the front door and headed for the black SUV that had it's engine running. The driver looked at me through his rear view mirror and stepped out of the car. He turned towards me and smiled, sickly. He was about 6 feet tall with a black moto jacket and dark denim jeans. His hair was short almost like it had been hacked off by a lawn mower.

" Ella. Ella, darling. I knew you'd see it my way. Come, we have a lot to talk about back at headquarters." He said as he gestured me to follow him into the car.

" I'm not going anywhere." I barked back, looking him dead in the eyes.

The man looked back at me, his annoyance clearly displayed on his face.

"What did you just say? Listen, I have no patience for you and your antics. You wanted to leave headquarters, we let you. You wanted to go back and keep an eye on your sister, we let you. We're not pushovers, Ella. You can't just do whatever the heck you want to do. There's a price for everything. Didn't I tell you that the last time?" The man sneered.

Think! What would Ella do. What would Ella do. What would I do?

I smiled back at the man.

" How could I forget, you killed my sister. She died because of your stupid snipers and they're little hand grenades. How could I forget that?" I shouted.

" Ella, you knew it was going to happen. You weren't focused when you were with your family. So the GCF had to make a choice. Think of it as collateral damage." The man replied.

" My sister is collateral damage? You think that my sister was collateral damage? Well, newsflash you're about to be collateral damage." I said as I plugged the knife deep into his collar bone. The man howled out in pain, but I was past the point of caring. I pulled the knife out of his shoulder and ran back into the hospital. I went all the way down to my room, sat back on the bed, placed the covers over me and called the nurse.

She came to my room within a minute. It was the same nurse who had so foolishly let the man into my room. I could tell by her voice.

" What's wrong sweetie?" The nurse asked me. I grabbed her by her arm and whispered into her ear.

" I don't have a brother. You shouldn't have let him in. I could have been killed because of your idiocracy. What do you have to say for yourself?" I said, menacingly.

" I'm so sorry Miss. Ramirez. I thought he was your brother. He just looked so much like you and I thought…." The nurse drifted on.

" Well, never assume anything. Now so I don't tell your boss. You're going to help me get away from here. Okay?" I asked, sweetly.

" Yes, of course Miss. Ramirez. I'm so sorry." She whispered.

" It's okay, as long as you help me I'll be fine. Now, what you're going to do is get your car and pull out back. You're going to tell the nurses at the front desk that you're not feeling well and that you're going home. Then you're going to take me home and explain to my parents that there was no reason for me to stay overnight and you, being as generous as you are, decided to bring me home yourself. Am I clear?" I asked.

" Yes, of course Miss. Ramirez." The nurse said, shyly.

" Well? What are you waiting for then?" I exclaimed.

" Yes, of course. I'm so sorry!" The nurse said again as she scampered off to the nurses' station.

I think Ella would have been very proud of me. Afterall manipulation is one of the key things that she did best. About five minutes later, the nurse came back to the room.

" Okay, Miss. Ramirez. Why don't you head out the back way first. This way it won't get me in trouble if any of my coworkers happen to see you in the hallway." The nurse whispered.

" You're already in trouble. The only question is what they find out about. Almost killing a poor, teenage girl? Or breaking a patient out of a hospital? Which one would you prefer?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

" Okay, okay, you got me there. Just head down the hall and don't look back. If anyone does see you they might not know that I let you out." She said.

Didn't this nurse know when to shut up? She was already on my last nerve. How lucky did she think she was?

" Listen, I don't know who the heck you are. And honestly, I don't care. Your the one who let that man come into the room and almost kill me. Your terribly at your job." I whispered.

" My name is Lisa, actually. My mom gave me this job because she thought it would show me a sense of responsibility. I just, really messed it up." Lisa shrugged.

" You think?" I asked sarcastically.

" Alright, it was a major mess up. I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry for that Miss. Ramirez." Lisa looked down at the floor, shiny tears spreading themselves out around her eyes. I'm going to have to be the bigger person aren't I?

" You can call me Max, Lisa. Everyone does." I smiled.

I opened the door at the end of the hallway and slowly walked into the parking lot. It was dark out. Probably around 8:30, if I had to guess. There was about a million stars out in the sky, but that was normal for the spring season. The parking lot held one lonely car, a black, Mercedes Benz.

" So, there's my car. Hop in." Lisa whispered as she took out her keys. The car roared to life. I was on my way home, putting as many miles between the GCF as I could. Looking around Lisa's car, I noticed she had a GPS and a high definition stereo in her car. Her mom must be rich.

" So, is it alright if I put in my address?" I wondered, breaking the silence.

" Sure." Lisa replied.

So after a long, quiet car ride, we were at my house. It looked better in the dark than it did in the light. You couldn't even notice the uneven paint job. I made my way up the walkway with Lissa in tow. In short, Lisa talked to my parents about my unneeded stay at the hospital. They thanked her for bringing me home with a 100 dollar bill and I went to sleep. A pretty uneventful evening if you ask me.

**So?**

**I threw Lisa in there. I know in most stories, Lisa's the evil queen of sorts. And I'm sorry to say as much as I love those stories, I just don't see her like that. Sorry if you do.**

**Anyway,**

**See you in the stars,**

**BLOODREDBLACKENINGABYSS**


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